A second straight day without US-Iran strikes shifted attention from the battlefield to the White House, where President Donald Trump faces an increasingly narrow set of options.
The weekend lull, following nearly two weeks of tit-for-tat attacks, appears to reflect strategic constraints as much as renewed diplomacy.
While Trump has publicly floated a return to negotiations, The New York Times reported he shelved plans for a broader offensive after advisers warned of dwindling US interceptor stockpiles.
That leaves Trump with few paths, analysts said: revive stalled negotiations, escalate at the risk of more American casualties and skyrocketing energy prices, or settle into a costly stalemate.
Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, though, show that the wider regional conflict continues despite the intermittent calm.